Timeless
by OceanusBlue
Summary: Mrs Jones persuaded Alex to go on another mission, one that has practically to lead to anything. It's a mission that's about to turn the clock round.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Characters don't belong to me.

* * *

"Alex. Good to see you again. Now-" Mrs Jones started, clasping her hands on a khaki-coloured file with red ink printed on top. Without looking, Alex immediately knew what kind of file it was. It was always given to him.

"TOP SECRET"

"Jones, I remembered saying that I've had enough of these missions! For God's sake, spare me, would you!" Alex exclaimed, slamming both hands on the coffee table.

"Alex, this is serious. We need-" Mrs Jones attempted.

"You know the answer. No. Which part of the word don't you understand?" Alex growled out, narrowing his eyes. The chocolate brown eyes had almost gone all black in anger.

* * *

Alex Rider was now seventeen. Living with the Pleasures in America, he had been out of grasp from MI6 for two years already. But now, they were back.

He wasn't going to give in this time.

He finally got to enjoy a bit after all these years, though now life would never be the same as before.

But at least he was living his life.

But deep down, Alex knew.

He can never ever escape the wrath of MI6, and his instincts were always right. Almost.

Mrs Jones came all the way to America to talk to him.

* * *

"Spare me. You let me come to America with Sabina, wasn't that because you think I had enough?" Alex stood up straight, glaring down at Mrs Jones.

"No, I let you come to America with the Pleasures because you needed a guardian." Mrs Jones replied with utter calmness.

She sat ram-rod straight on the sofa of the house of the Pleasures. Alex briefly wondered if she had an iron rod planted in her back.

"Alex, let me speak first." Mrs Jones said softly.

Alex gave her a scale 10 glare and dropped down onto the sofa. He took the file that Mrs Jones handed him.

"Aren't you afraid someone might be listening in?"

"No, I've had people to scan the house for bugs." Mrs Jones replied curtly, and on the cue, 3 men in black appeared behind her, black wires trailing from the earpieces in their ears.

"Spies…" Alex muttered, annoyed , opening the file.

"The main motive of this mission is to collect the files, from the person as mentioned in the file you are holding. Matt Warner…"

Mrs Jones tapped the edge of the small black box sat on her palm. A small buzzed came from the box, and light shot out from the front. The men in black drew the curtains over the windows, before standing back at their original spot, as still as a statue. Momentarily blinded by the sudden light in the half-darkness, Alex brought his hands up and rubbed his eyes to clear his vision.

When he opened them again, he was facing Matt Warner, looking exactly the same as the picture in the file. Black hair with streaks of red, his hair cut short, but had long fringe lying over his eyes. Obsidian-black eyes peeked out from beneath the mop of hair. After looking carefully, Alex realized it was a miniature version of Matt. There were green words beside the figure, and it took a while for Alex's eyes to get used to them.

He looked through the words and looked at Mrs Jones curiously.

Mrs Jones gave his a small smile.

"Courtesy of Smithers. He made this not long ago for holograms."

"Continue about the mission, Mrs Jones." Alex replied dully.

Mrs Jones cleared her throat. "Matt Warner, 1.75m tall, black hair, dyed red, black eyes, squared features. He is known for using masks—realistic mask of people, so that his real identity will not be shown. This is one of the disguise he uses. We do not have a picture of him without a disguise. I won't be surprised if Matt Warner wasn't his real name."

"So how do you expect me to track him without knowing how he looks like at all?"

"I didn't ask you to track him down. The mission is to collect as much information as you have on his company. Not Google search it, Alex. I meant infiltration. You are to infiltrate the company, or rather, its headquarters in Venice."

Alex felt his heart leaped up with fear. He could hear his heart pounding at his ears; the blood could be felt rushing out of his face.

Why Venice?

Mrs Jones didn't notice Alex's sudden stiffness.

"You are to proceed to the headquarters, infiltrate in, and get into Matt Warner's room. Copy all information in the thumbdrive that Smithers will provide you with. Get the documents, and please, put on the latex gloves, and get out of there. But if time shall allow, get a glimpse of the research laboratory. We think that they have been creating and distributing drugs with severe effects. Also, they may be an opponent in MI6's technology. Recently, we found out that several secret intelligence agencies had traces of people trying to hack into. All information were still intact, but whether they had been copied is still being checked. Military Intelligence Sector 5 had recently reported to be the latest to be hacked into. We fear that MI6 may be next."

"Why didn't you send someone else in?" Alex asked.

"We did, and in different circumstances, the agents did not come back, or they were found dead. Some of them came back, but they were terrorized into silence."

Alex gulped.

"How many people did you send in?"

"10. They went in fives. 2 groups were sent in, but only some came back."

"That's what they get for a retrieval mission? Now you are suggesting that I go in! And I supposed I'm going in alone!"

"Well, I'm afraid that is."

"I'm afraid I'm not going, Mrs Jones. Like I said, I had enough, I've seen enough, and I've done enough. I'm sick of being tangled into this mess."

"You want a partner? We can provide you with one, but it makes things trickier. Having a partner means that you two must stay in contact as all times. What if one goes missing? Then the mission will be slowed down. There won't be efficiency. I sent 5 in together that time. It was a mistake. They were incompetent."

"Do you know you are sending me to a suicidal mission? I'm not as gullible as before. You've got nothing to blackmail me anymore."

"Alex, I'm not going to blackmail you. Not at all. But if you don't accept the mission, you'll be in grave danger as well. If Matt Warner managed to hack into our system, every agent's particulars will be exposed, and they will be tracked. As our highest ranking agent, we need to keep your particulars as a secret. They can't know your success rate. They will want you to work for them. So we have no choice but to send in a competent agent for this mission. I'm sorry, Alex, I don't wish to, but I've ran out of choices."

Just then, the door opened.

"Why is it so dark?" A voice murmured. "Alex? Alex! Why did you pull the blinds down!"

"Hi Sabina."

"Oh, hi, there you are—" Sabina stopped. She stared at Mrs Jones.

"Why are you here? Wait, you…have you come for Alex again? Another suicidal mission? He's not leaving here. Not ever. You can't take him back to that cruel world of yours! He'll have no life there!" Sabina shrieked.

Alex felt his heart pang. It was true. But now what. Did he have a choice?

He could always say no…

But risk letting his identity be revealed and tracked down, and get killed? He might get the Pleasures into trouble too.

"There now, Sabina. Just go up first. I'll…I'll talk to you later." Alex murmured, pushing Sabina lightly towards the stairs.

"But Alex…!"

"Please, Sabina." Alex pleaded, his voice soft. His fair hair had fallen over his eyes, making his brown eyes look darker.

Sabina obeyed.

Alex walked back to the couch.

"I'll go." He sighed.

Mrs Jones didn't smile.

"I'm sorry, Alex."

When Alex didn't respond and decided that the ground was way more interesting, she continued, "I'll see you tomorrow at 5am. I'll be waiting outside. Pack your luggage, but you don't need a lot."

"I'll go off now. Thank you, Alex. I'm sorry."

Mrs Jones left the room, leaving Alex staring at the floor in the dark room.

* * *

After dinner, Sabina confronted Alex.

"Alex, are you really going?" Sabina whispered, walking into Alex's room. His hand luggage was on his chair, and he was listening to his Mp3, staring at the ceiling. When Sabina came in, he turned away.

"Alex…You can't just leave. You never wanted to go back!" Sabina cried.

"Sabina, please. You won't understand. If I don't go, many people will be in danger—"

"And why is it that every mission you go will endanger others? I don't see any other people doing those suicidal missions. It's like, if you don't take a risk, we all die. But if you take that risk, you may die trying to save us or die failing to save us all. There's no point…"

"In that case, I'll risk my life."

Sabina stopped short, her jaw hanging ajar.

"Why…Why, Alex, _why_?"

Sabina ran out of the room, sobbing.

"I'm sorry, Sab." Alex whispered, covering his eyes with his arm, blocking the light out.

He held his tears back and bit back a cry.

* * *

0430

Alex opened his eyes, and sat up slowly. He made his bed and arranged his things neatly in his room.

He changed into a black, long-sleeved shirt, and dark jeans.

0455

Alex placed a letter on his table, hoping that Mr and Mrs Pleasure would understand. He took his hand luggage in his arms, and slowly crept down the stairs without any sound.

It was time.

He slipped on his trainers, and stepped out into the cool dawn breeze. It combed through his hair, making them whip around.

0500

A black car was waiting outside.

Alex walked towards the car, and the door slide open automatically.

Mrs Jones was sitting inside.

"How nice of you to come personally." Alex greeted dully.

Mrs Jones gave a curt nod, and motioned for Alex to step in. Alex obliged, his eyes taking in every detail in surroundings.

The door closed with a gentle click, and the driver drove off, its engine barely making a sound.

What they didn't know, what Alex didn't know, was that Sabina had seen everything. From her bedroom window, she saw Alex stepped into the car. She knew that he would leave quietly.

She cried, and prayed for his safety.

* * *

**HIHI!**

**Thanks for reading this first chapter of Timeless. I can only wish you guys REVIEW! :D**


	2. Back to Bank

Disclaimer: Hmm...Alex Rider, Mrs Jones, and Smithers DO NOT belong to me. :/

* * *

Alex reached Britain at 8am. A private jet had been waiting at the airport's VIP departure station.

Mr Jones brought Alex into Royal General and Bank. After all these years, the bank hadn't change a single bit.

"Alex, go down the corridor and you can find Smithers in the room at the end. Go straight through the double paneled door. He's waiting for you."

Alex proceeded across the corridor, and opened the door gently.

Smither was at his table, looking at the multiple computer screens in front of him. Out of the whole bank, Smithers' office probably had the most changes.

Smithers looked up the minute Alex stepped into the room.

"Hey Alex, old bean! Jolly good to see you again, intact and well. Good! You've been surviving well then, boy?" Smithers gave a grin and clapped a plump hand on Alex's shoulder.

Alex managed a weak grin.

"I really hope you continue to stay intact after this mission. I've heard about it, and the risks…I don't like it, m'boy. I don't like it one bit and I disagree to the fact you have to be sent in." Smithers muttered, shaking his head.

"But we don't have a choice, so I wish you good luck. The best I can do is to provide a good supply of gadgets for you."

Alex sat on the comfortable chair. "Thanks, Mr Smithers! Say, you remade your fat suit?"

Smithers gave a hearty laugh. "Of course! I can't live without it."

"So, gadgets. I received the news that you are coming back only yesterday, so it's hard to pack everything for you…Hmm…the basics then, how about this? The old ones you used for the previous missions. I've upgraded some of them. Let's see… ah! The yoyo. Made of tough nylon, it can hold your entire body weight…scratch that, it can hold the weight of an elephant in mid-air! I've increased the length of the nylon, and added a length of toughened metal wire in it so it is stronger. Press the center button to recoil everything. You can clip this to your belt. It's not a yoyo anymore, mind you. It's a spy thing." Smithers commented, putting the circular black object on the table. It was only about 2.5 inches wide.

"Next up, there's a tube of zit cream. Works the same way, only slightly stronger. Oh, and it's flammable too! Just drag a line of cream on the surface, and light one end of it. Works like gunpowder, I'll say. Here's the lighter." Smithers set the items on the table.

"Now…the pricks. This is a set of ring. A typical weapon with hidden spikes. You know, all those movies you might have watched, you may have seen this. Just put it on your fingers and give a punch. The impact will cause the spikes to spring up and pierce the opponent. I have a poisoned version, but Mrs Jones thinks that it's not advisable. Mind you, wearing these rings can cause your punch to be stronger by double the strength. It isn't made to kill, just to injure and stun."

"Let's see…3 small daggers, paper-thin and sharp. A hand grenade, maybe…"

"A set of shoelaces. They cut, so be careful."

"Oh, and these fountain pens. Same as before, they cause explosions. But now, it works differently. Just squirt some ink on any surface, really, any surface, and the item will explode within 5 seconds. Not completely, but damage can be beyond repair for wood, glass and plastic items. Reinforce metal will be dented and weakened. Metal will only crack through."

"Now, this watch is for emergency. Press the black rectangular button and a signal will be sent here to Mrs Jones and me. Mrs Jones doesn't want you to be killed, so press this button as soon as you are in danger, or you know enough, so we can pull you out. There's another button on the other side, but don't look at it while spraying! Tear gas, gives you a bit of time to escape."

"This is a bulletproof suit. Wear it in the inside."

"Night goggles."

"Finally. Something you always wanted on missions. A gun."

Alex was getting all confused by all the gadgets he was getting. The gun surprised him.

"Mrs Jones thought that it was best for you to have it. It's the most she could do for sending you to a suicide mission. It's a modified Browning Hi-Power 9mm semi-automatic handgun. I bet that you are accustomed to these sorts after training in Brecon Beacons. I've heard that you have a 99% accuracy. It's fingerprint sensitive." Smithers said gravely. "Only you are allowed to use this gun. No one else. It's made so as to not be detected by metal detectors in the airports and such. This gun has a 13-round magazine capacity, and here's the extra ammunition, and tranquilizer. The tranquilizers last for an hour."

"All the best, Alex! Come back in one piece!" Smithers murmured, patting him on his shoulder, before letting him out of the room.

* * *

Alex dragged the suitcase out of the office.

"That's sure a change." He muttered, pulling the gun out of its protective box. He spun it around his fingers, carefully testing it.

He fastened his gun onto his belt, careful not to click off the safety.

Dragging the suitcase along, he trudged towards Jones' office.

It was equivalent to signing his death sentence yes, but he didn't care anymore.

He couldn't care anymore.

He don't want to care anymore.

_I'll either end up in heaven, earth, or hell._

Easy.

* * *

**Short and sweet chapter guys! Hope you enjoy it! Feedbacks are really welcome. C'mon, just post below! :D**

**-Blue**

**P.s. I know the gadgets are a bit poor. So...REVIEW the kind of gadgets you want to see and I'll make full use of it. Make this wish come true! Post below!**


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